Ventera’s 12kW Hybrid Electric System

Ventera VT10 on the Rohn Tower

Run Your Electric Meter Backwards!

It doesn’t get any simpler than this. This new concept in generating your own renewable energy performs much like any large electrical appliance such as a clothes dryer or air conditioner, but instead of taking electrical power FROM an outlet, you put electricity INTO the outlet! If at any time your wind and solar system is producing more energy than you are using, your electric meter will run backwards reducing your electric bill. If your electrical loads are larger than the wind generator and solar production, your meter will slow down reflecting your reduced need to buy electricity at retail from the utility. No batteries are used or required! You get up to 12 kilowatts of hybrid renewable electricity, 10 kilowatts from the new Ventera VT10 wind turbine and 2 kilowatts from solar photovoltaics 100% of which goes directly to reduce your electric bill by means of our exclusive dual input VI12 synchronous inverter.

Designed to Pay for Itself

Few things in this life are free, but you might agree our new Ventera V12 wind and solar system comes pretty close. Designed for at least a 30 year life and minimum maintenance, the Ventera wind turbine on an 80 foot tower can produce $2000 or more worth of electricity per year, electricity you would otherwise have to buy, if your wind regime is 12.5mph-5.5m/s (class III) or better and you pay 8 cents or more for electricity. In not much more than 10 years you’ll have earned back your original investment and in 30 years you could pocket 3 times or more the original investment! If you assume electric rates will go up in the coming years, and many predict they’ll go up faster than the rate of inflation, you’ll earn back your investment even faster. If you can depreciate the wind turbine cost as a farm or business expense, your payback will be even sooner. If your average wind speed is greater than 12.5 mph-5.5m/s, which is true for many sites in the US Midwest, your payback can be sooner yet. And, some states offer tax credits for small wind systems reducing the payback time even further. Careful design of every component and advanced tooling and manufacturing processes bring the initial cost of the Ventera turbine, synchronous inverter and self-supporting tower to historic lows. The frame is an aluminum casting (made from environmentally friendly recycled aluminum), not an expensive weldment. The downwind orientation eliminates the need for a costly and cumbersome tail. The blades are injection molded for low cost and absolute uniformity. The brushless, one-moving-part, large diameter alternator minimizes the use of copper, steel and rare earth magnet material. Our unique synchronous inverter utilizes a common power handling stage with separate wind and solar peak power tracking input stages to bring you hybrid grid connection at an unheard of low price.

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These people are actually more for utility companies but if a town banded together they could probably buy one:

Wind Energy Solutions Canada is a specialized company in technical solutions for energy problems. We as manufacturers together with WES Netherlands are selling the turbine product range from a former famous Dutch Wind Turbine manufacturer.

Many of our customers can be found in the agricultural, commercial businesses and small grid operators. Because WES does not focus on the very large wind parks, but mostly on small projects and distributed generation, our customers can be assured of tailor-made solutions that can help them reduce their electricity bills and enable them to sell to the electricity net.

Leading edge group of companies which provide a suite of services for the design and construction of outside plant infrastructure and distribution networks. Focusing on the needs of telecommunications and cable operators, public utilities, and municipalities. Conquering the design/build challenges of state-of-the-art distribution networks

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This company could hand make a system for a home owner but it would be expensive. Still they ARE made in the USA:

TheJacobs Wind Systems are on the cutting edge for providing clean, quality, reliable and efficient power in the USA and around the world.In the energy conscious person of today we see a desire to reduce electrical usage or cut the cost paid for energy consumption. A Jacobs Wind System can provide you a means of offsetting the ever-rising costs of your electrical energy.

100 Kw is a tad big for our little 850 sq. ft. house but please note THEY Are Hiring. These are the much bandied about “green jobs”. Who else is hiring? MacDonalds? Back to the more affordable turbines:

No. 1 in Modern Energy

Over the past year, the term “going green” has conquered the world. The media and environmental organizations are promoting sustainability, persuading people to live ecologically conscious lifestyles for the sake of the environment and longevity of the planet. A green lifestyle is no longer just a necessity, but also a huge trend. People everywhere are challenging themselves to reduce their ecological footprint by recycling, shopping with reusable bags, reducing their hot water usage, and purchasing clothing made from environmentally friendly materials. [ Read More … ]

Almost everyone is doing something small to contribute to the sustainability of the environment. ReDriven wants everyone to take their passion for the environment a step further by considering a wind turbine. Very few people reflect on the environmental impact of their energy source. They may know that it their power source is bad for the environment but think of it as a necessity; everyone needs electricity. A wind turbine substantially reduces and almost eliminates the pollution and C02 emissions generated from a traditional power source, making them a great resource for people and communities looking to significantly reduce their environmental footprint. With a wind turbine, people are able to benefit from the convenience of electricity without substantially harming the planet.

This year, the United States Government passed the U.S. Renewable Energy Tax Incentive Extension, granting tax credits to people and businesses that purchase a wind turbine. The government believes that by allowing people easier access to diverse energy sources, including a wind turbine, energy prices will drop and businesses will be able to make an easy transition into more environmentally friendly production. Like many others, the government is recognizing the ecologically beneficial nature of the wind turbine, viewing them as an intricate and essential component of America’s future. By giving people and businesses tax credits for purchasing a wind turbine, they are encouraging them to live sustainably and creating more environmentally friendly jobs, thereby promoting a healthier and more ecologically friendly America.

Few people realize how damaging their traditional fossil fuel energy sources are for the environment. With the majority of citizens still using fossil fuels and not investing in a wind turbine, dangerous amounts of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, particulates, and mercury are released into the environment on a daily basis. The use of fossil fuels over a wind turbine not only hinders people’s well-being and health, but also contributes to green house gasses and global warming. It is imperative that all families and businesses consider the long term environmental advantages of the wind turbine. Unlike traditional fossil fuel sources, a wind turbine does not emit pollution while generating energy. Although, pollution is generated while manufacturing a wind turbine, once it is constructed it is emission and pollution free. After nine months of environmentally friendly use, a wind turbine easily pays back the pollution emitted during manufacturing. Additionally, a substantial percentage of a wind turbine is fully recyclable. A wind turbine is an ideal energy source for anyone looking for an environmentally friendly and sustainable electricity source.

It is clear that the environment is in a dire situation. People everywhere are clamoring to do their part in saving the planet but sometimes a carrying reusable grocery bags and recycling just isn’t enough. ReDriven wants everyone to consider replacing their energy source with a wind turbine. Taking energy from the natural environment, a wind turbine preserves the ecological system by eliminating pollution released during electricity production. A wind turbine is the future of energy generation and an excellent way for people to significantly reduce their ecological footprint.

Wind Power

Throughout the world, wind power is quickly gaining popularity. Even though wind power only accounts for 1% of the earth’s power, the number is continually rising as wind power gains ground as a profitable and effective energy source. Wind power electricity production has quadrupled over the past six years, with Denmark, Germany, the United States, and Spain, leading the pack. Denmark generates one fifth of its total electricity through wind power, which is the highest production rate in the world. The United States and European governments, businesses, and people are championing wind power, recognizing its affordability and beneficial effects on the environment. [ Read More … ]

Many countries are now investing in wind power over fossil fuels, causing the industry to grow substantially from year to year. ReDriven wants to supply people with the tools and knowledge they need to generate ecologically friendly electricity. Wind power does not produce air pollution while generating electricity, making it better for the environment than fossil fuels, which contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. With 20 KW, 10 KW, and 5 KW units, ReDriven have wind power turbines to fulfill all businesses, companies, and governments needs. Their modern and aesthetically pleasing wind power generators are an excellent and modern source of electricity for people looking for a cost effective and environmentally friendly energy source. People throughout the world are advocating for wind turbines and their positive effects on the environment. ReDriven is devoted to helping people purchase and attain wind power electricity sources.

In 1999, wind power only accounted for .1% of the United States’ total generated electricity. Over the past nine years, attitudes towards the environment have changed, causing wind power electricity to rapidly increase; wind power is now over 1% of the countries total electricity. With the rise of green living and the popularity of the “Planet Earth” documentary, people are no longer blindly polluting and countries and families alike are looking for more sustainable energy sources. The environment has become an internationally relevant topic that everyone is aware of. The government and environmentally conscious businesses and home owners are taking it upon themselves to consider more viable energy sources that are less harmful to the environment than traditional fossil fuels. Fortunately, they have found it in wind power; The U.S. Department of Energy has discovered that the abundance of wind flowing across the Great Plains has the ability to power the entire nation. That combined with the wind power produced by offshore turbines in the Great Lakes area guarantees an effective and sustainable means of providing the country with electricity. As time goes on, the environment will become an increasingly important political and social issue, causing the number of wind power turbines in the states to grow. This highly economic and environmentally friendly energy source will soon dominate the industry.

ReDriven realizes that wind power is the future of electricity. They are the leading American developer of wind turbines and offer 20 KW, 10 KW, and 5KW unit wind power turbines and a variety of tower options. All packages include generators, blades, flanges, grid controllers, inverters, and isolation transformers of differing sizes and powers, depending on the package ordered. Additionally, the height of the wind power turbine tower ranges from regular to hydraulic towers from 12 to 36 m tall. These modern and sleek wind power turbines are guaranteed to suit any natural landscape and produce efficient and environmentally friendly electricity. People concerned with the effectiveness and price of wind power turbines can log on to the ReDriven website to calculate the amount of energy that will be produced from the unit chosen. By filling out a form that takes into consideration average energy costs and consumption, wind speed, and other variables, everyone is able to see the potential effectiveness of their wind power turbine. ReDriven is an excellent resource for people looking to purchase and gain information on wind power.

Countries and people everywhere are searching for more sustainable energy sources and looking towards wind power turbines. With people becoming more environmentally conscious, wind power will become the electricity source of the future. ReDriven offers a variety of wind turbines to fulfill all corporations, governments, and personal needs. By logging on to their website, everyone is able to find out how wind power can work for them.

Wind Generator

Few people ever consider investing in an alternative energy source because they believe that new electricity generators are ineffective. Unfortunately, wind generators are still controversial and have a variety of insubstantial issues surrounding them. The reality is that a wind generator is an incredibly effective and environmentally friendly means to produce electricity and the majority of concerns surrounding them are incorrect and misleading. [ Read More … ]

2 KW Wind Turbine

The ReDriven 2 kw wind turbine system is an excellent system for on-grid applications where 250 kwh -500 wkh of power per month will provide the necessary capacity to offset partially or fully the utility bill for your seasonal property or home.[ Read More … ]

The ReDriven 2kw is a tailed unit that uses the wind direction to help it determine where best to capture the wind. This turbine head weighs approximately 116 lbs (53 kg) and comes with the ReDriven controller, a Power One Inverter, blades.

Product Features:

Start up wind speed is 4.4 mph

Rated wind speed (generate 2 KW) is 20.1 mph

Maximum power 2000 watts

3 blades measuring 3.2 meters in diameter

Recommended tower height is 9 meters

5 KW Wind Turbine

The ReDriven 5 kw wind turbine system is the first in our line of non-tailed units. The technology found in the 5 kw ReDriven Controller is identical to the larger 10 kw and 20 kw units. Therefore you receive all the advantages of a larger unit packed into this ultra efficient power house.[ Read More … ]

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These folks even put a windmill on the lawn of the Federal Capitol Building. Way to go people:

Bringing low-cost, reliable wind energy to the world

U.S. Federal government endorses small wind turbines with tax credit

New law gives up to $4,000 to consumers who purchase Southwest Windpower’s Skystream 3.7

Flagstaff, Ariz. — Southwest Windpower, the leading manufacturer of small wind turbines, played a leadership role in the passage of new legislation creating a federal-level tax credit for qualified small wind turbines.

It always amazes me that anytime anybody generates megawatts they get all big chested and manly. Heh they ARE just whirrlygigs after all. Oh and I have been getting the listings of these turbine manufacturers and dealers from the American Wind Energy Associations website:

AWEA’s latest publication, in partnership with the Solar Energy Industries Association, is Green Power Superhighways: Building a Path to America’s Clean Energy Future. The U.S. is home to vast quantities of clean energy resources, but lacks a modern interstate transmission grid to deliver carbon-free electricity to customers in highly populated areas of the country. This white paper highlights the barriers that hinder investment in transmission infrastructure and identifies potential policy solutions.

Energy Maintenance Service, LLC (EMS) is a full service provider of high quality, cost effective products and services to the North American wind industry with an emphasis on Construction, Operations & Maintenance, and Component Repairs including control systems and gear boxes. Our client base includes turbine and component manufacturers; wind farm developers, owners, and operators; and industry consulting firms throughout the world.

Based in wind-rich Gary, South Dakota, EMS’ de-centralized operations are highly mobile with a labor force that can provide timely service to all major wind developments located throughout North America.

As an independent service provider, we are committed to serving a broad range of wind customers with solutions that are tailored to each customer’s needs. We rely heavily on our industry recognized team of experts, our advanced systems, and our intimate knowledge of the industry to ensure that our clients always have a positive and successful experience working with our company.

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Those guys and the next guys are really for the major producers. Anybody that erected a 35 kw or a 50 kw turbine would have his net meter spinning off the house:

Focused

Entegrity Wind Systems Inc. manufactures, installs, and maintains the EW50 commercial-scale wind turbine. Founded in 2002 by James Heath, Mauri Miller, and Malcolm Lodge, Entegrity is committed to the distributed energy business model: Customers use on-site resources to help control energy costs and maintain long-term price stability for a portion of their energy needs.

Tested

Entegrity’s founders recognized that technical advancements in the wind and communications industries could help solve the crisis posed by climbing energy prices. With a resolve to provide customers with a long-term solution, they purchased the Atlantic Orient Corporation, along with the engineering and design drawings of a well-proven wind turbine. The AOC 15/50 is a commercial-scale wind turbine with a long operating history and simple, robust design. Early models of the AOC 15/50 are still in operation throughout the world, including serial number 001 at the United States Department of Agriculture’s research facility in Bushland, Texas. Entegrity has invested substantial resources in continued improvement to the turbine, now known as Entegrity’s EW50.

Committed

Entegrity is a vertically-integrated company controlling all aspects of a wind turbine project. Entegrity’s wind experts are leaders in their field, and work with our partners and customers during all phases of a project to ensure timely and comprehensive support and ongoing maintenance. Additionally, Entegrity uses local resources for construction, installation and maintenance of its fleet.

Gaia-Wind develops and manufactures small and efficient wind turbines for supplying electricity to properties such as private houses, farms, offices, companies and swimming pools. With 150 wind turbines already installed, Gaia-Wind has more than 1,000 years of operational experience. From our establishments in Århus, Denmark and Glasgow, Scotland, we can supply you with ‘your own wind turbine’, which in turn will provide you with reliable, abundant and clean energy.

Proven Energy is the world’s leading supplier of small wind turbines. Our high performance turbines are the result of almost thirty years of inspiration, innovation and development.

With over 2000 units installed worldwide, Proven Energy has unrivalled experience and has built up a global reputation for their robust and reliable performance.

Our patented Proven Flexible Blade System enables the wind turbine to generate power in light or strong winds. Our products offer sustainable energy solutions across a wide range of industry sectors, from domestic to offshore.

As the wind gets stronger, the blades twist to reduce their aerodynamic efficiency. This maintains a high output even in the fiercest storms, unlike many turbines which need to stop generating power to protect themselves at high wind speeds. The blades also regulate speed, preventing damage.

Proven Energy has many years’ experience and can help you choose the right system for your needs. We offer a complete service, from site assessment and system design to supply, installation and maintenance.

If you are thinking about reducing your domestic energy bills or providing a multi-site energy solution for your business, Proven Energy can help achieve your renewable energy aspirations. We make sure that your wind turbine choice will work productively for you and deliver all-round environmental benefits.

The saying is, “the wind blows when the sun goes down”. While this is a definite over simplification, it is true that on average there is more surface wind generated during off peak solar hours and so, if you are a battery user a small wind turbine makes perfect sense. In this area there have been amazing improvements in both efficiency and looks.

ABUNDANT RENEWABLE ENERGY(ARE) wind generators are as strong as you’ll find anywhere. Designed for harsh climates, they are builtsimply and ruggedly to quietly last.ARE machines have a large swept area to capture more wind and produce more energy, especially in low wind speeds. These machines produce energy in the winds you get, day in and day out… Power when you need it, not just in storms.

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These dealers/manufacturers are presented alphabetically with no regard to reliability or generating capabilities:

The Aerostar 6 Meter Wind Turbine is the result of 25 years of design experience, testing and turbine installations throughout the U.S. The turbine is simple, rugged and efficient, particularly at low wind speeds. The turbine is also very quiet at all wind speeds. The induction generator interfaces directly with the utility grid. There is no complicated and expensive inverter. Best of all, because the turbine incorporates the latest technology, efficient structural design and use of high quality materials, the cost of the system is well below that of competing U.S. produced turbines. Here are some turbine features.

AV’s small, modular wind turbine solution is designed to provide an attractive, kinetic, clean energy generating solution that integrates easily into new and existing commercial buildings. Whereas solar thermal and solar photovoltaic systems are typically located on top of roofs, out of sight, Architectural Wind™ provides a visible, compelling and architecturally enhancing statement of the building’s commitment to renewable energy.

Unlike other small wind turbine designs, Architectural Wind™ combines the functional with the aesthetic to create the first modular and architecturally enhancing small wind turbine system. AV’s patented design and innovative positioning method takes advantage of the natural acceleration in wind speed resulting from the building’s aerodynamic properties. This accelerated wind speed can increase the turbines’ electrical power generation by more than 50% compared to the power generation that would result from systems situated outside of the acceleration zone. The sleek and modular units also operate with less noise and vibration compared to conventional wind turbine designs.

Bergey Windpower is one of the world’s leading suppliers of small wind turbines. With 30 years experience, installations in all 50 U.S. States and more than 100 countries, and an international network of 500 dealers, we have the products and experience to put the wind to work for you.

At Bergey Windpower, we take pride in offering advanced-technology products that let homeowners and businesses generate their own clean power and even spin their utility meter backwards. Our turbines are also used for off-grid homes, for rural electrification, and to boost the performance of solar electric systems.

Bob is part of a large family of farmers in Mason County and he has always had an interest in getting energy from his environment rather than from the utility company. I should say that the idea for this post is 2 fold. I recently posted another personal story when I was talking about water conservation. These stories I think are helpful. It makes it clear that people could live utility free if they only put out the effort. It is also the case that I have listed his property several times in the Catalog of Energy Efforts in Central Illinois thread on CES’ Bulletin Board “Refrigerator Magnets”. (Click on our home page, click on Refrigerator Magnets on the menu on the upper left hand corner, click on the general Board and then click on that thread to see the list.)

I first reported their property after being chastised by a Board Member for ignoring my home county of Mason for energy related things going on in Central Illinois. Bob had one of the first sophisticated solar applications I have ever seen. He used a 2 story tall plexiglas faced solar scoop to heat water and thus heat his huge hog enclosure. Not only that but they have a rammed earth house which is pretty cool in and of itself.

Recently as I was driving by Bob’s property I saw that they were tearing down the hog enclosure. So I posted an update that the property had lost some of its solar potential, but I added that that happens because things change. If they quit farming hogs then the solar system would no longer be functional. I guess I thought in my head that I hoped the solar system would find a new home or a new use.

Imagine my surprise when I drove by this spring and saw 36 solar photovoltaic Panels had been erected behind the hog house. They looked operational. Wow, Bob had gone from pioneer to not and back to pioneer again! Understand, that Bob’s property is on one of the main routes to my parent’s house in Mason City so imagine my surprise on my next trip when I saw that a wind turbine had been erected as well. I was so excited that I stopped and left a business card. Bob called me back and I tell you what, I have a huge amount of respect for this guy.

Now I am not going to get all this right, and I am not going to cover everything, But lets start with the 10Kw. Bergey Wind Turbine:

This is not the exact one he used, but it is a good example. Finally it is circulated throughout his house and his farm. He is not offline. He has to run a grain drier in his storage bins. There are other big ticket items on farms that requires high power consumption like welders and vapor mercury lamps. But he said on a good day when his usage is low he loves to watch the meter run backwards. This is all made possible by a dealer/installer that Bob refers to as a lifesaver:

Back to the rammed earth house, he says that they do not fear Tornadoes. They are surrounded by concrete walls. His daughter has a window, and they tell her if a storm gets bad to just come in and sleep with them (aaaahhh)…That’s amazing because almost everyone is afraid of tornadoes.

19 Feb 2009: Opinion

Why I’ll Get Arrested To Stop the Burning of Coal

On March 2, environmentalist Bill McKibben will join

demonstrators who plan to march on a coal-fired power plant in Washington D.C. In this article for Yale Environment 360, he explains why he’s ready to go to jail to protest the continued burning of coal.

by bill mckibben

It may seem odd timing that many of us are heading to the nation’s capital early next month for a major act of civil disobedience at a coal-fired power plant, the first big protest of its kind against global warming in this country.

After all, Barack Obama’s in power. He’s appointed scientific advisers who actually believe in… science, and he’s done more in a few weeks to deal with climate change than all the presidents of the last 20 years combined. Stalwarts like John Kerry, Henry Waxman, and Ed Markey are chairing the relevant congressional committees. The auto companies, humbled, are promising to build rational vehicles if only we give them some cash. What’s to protest? Why not just give the good guys a break?

If you think about it a little longer, though, you realize this is just the moment to up the ante. For one thing, it would have done no good in the past: you think Dick Cheney was going to pay attention?

More importantly, we need a powerful and active movement not to force the administration and the Democrats in Congress to do something they don’t want to, but to give them the political space they need to act on their convictions. Barack Obama was a community organizer — he understands that major change only comes when it’s demanded, when there’s some force noisy enough to drown out the eternal hum of business as usual, of vested interest, of inertia…

Bloguette Meghan McCain had an interesting article in the Daily Beast yesterday that addresses the techless nature of the GOP.

During the campaign season the only youth outreach I could find coming out of the McCain campaign was Meghan and her friends that traveled with the campaign and reported on the goings on.

Since this seems to be the week of children of the GOP coming out to tell all it is fitting Meghan wanted to talk about her experience as well. She says that the whole idea of the blog and project about being on the trail “was met with confusion and resistance” to begin with. “A few people even asked me what’s a blog.”

For the record, what you’re reading right now…. is a blog.

She also said that she got the idea that people thought she was wasting her time, “The Republican party isn’t exactly Internet savvy,” she says.

I would argue that there are many people in the GOP that are very tech savvy. The College Republicans developed a nice little social network site that no one really uses, if you’re a frequent reader of FM you know we know all about that site. And there are a hand full of remarkable tech savvy guys (sadly they’re all men) who do some good work for a party that has little to no support for them. Meghan’s lament isn’t an isolated one.

“Unless the GOP evolves as the party that can successfully utilize the Web, we’ll continue to lose influence. I think nothing confirms this fact to be more true than this recent election. I don’t claim to be an expert on mobilizing voters, but a significant number of the readers on mccainblogette.com, my blog, were between the ages of 18 and 30, a key demographic that either party would want. Many of the established Republican strategists told me that young people would not visit my web site.”

Watching the presidential debate has pulled my vote in different directions – but I am weary of falling victim to the theatrical allure of words and public speaking when the position comes down to action. If you are interested in the green words the candidates have buzzed about in oration, have a bit of fun.

But when it comes down to it, policy and action are the skeleton of a candidate. Each offers an Energy Plan – Obama’s ‘New Energy for America’ vs. McCain’s Lexington Project. Obama’s backbone policy: eliminate foreign oil, 1 million hybrid cars by 2015, and a cap and trade program cutting CO2 emissions by 2050. McCain in short: increase off-shore drilling, open domestic natural gas, cap and trade system, construct nuclear plants, a clean car challenge. Refer to the policies and note the time lines and numerical promise as measure of policy strength.

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You would think Solve Climate would be on board with it too. Well not exactly:

The cost of installing solar panels on homes and businesses fell 27.6 percent from 1998 to 2008, according to a new study from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory that questions some of the conventional wisdom about solar’s price.

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These folks basically live in Washington. You would think they would be excited:

Last night, the NY Times offered hope that the long-awaited endangerment for CO2 finding may soon be near:

Lisa P. Jackson, the new E.P.A. administrator, said in an interview that she had asked her staff to review the latest scientific evidence and prepare the documentation for a so-called endangerment finding. Ms. Jackson said she had not decided to issue such a finding but she pointedly noted that the second anniversary of the Supreme Court decision, Massachusetts v. E.P.A., is April 2, and there is the wide expectation that she will act by then.

The article also notes that the endangerment finding “would set off one of the most extensive regulatory rule makings in history,” which may in turn “accelerate the progress of energy and climate change legislation in Congress.” This, of course, is exactly what we have argued should happen, if the Obama Administration is to succeed in bringing about its desired cap-and-trade bill in the near future.

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These folks can be forgiven for not attending. They are in India attending there own conference:

The Divine India Youth Association, working under the leadership of Gayatari Pariwar (a Spiritual Organization), offered support to the Indian Youth Climate Network, at a recent conference in Shirdi. Members of the organization pledged to promote eco-friendliness at all of their religious gatherings. Proposals included the use of paper-bags instead of plastic ones, investment in solar powered energy systems, the replacement of plastic cups with traditional clay cups, and the promotion of organic farming as not only an ecological solution but a spiritual pathway as well.

At their gathering at Shirdi, two IYCN members displayed many of the small changes we can all make. People showed keen interest in the IYCN campaign.

Gayatari Pariwar was founded by Shri Ram Sharma Acharya and is now based in Shanti Kunj, Haridwar.

So I am attending the Energy and Resources Institute climate conference in New Delhi, and during the afternoon session two young American women — along with one of their mothers — proposition me.

“Hey, Mr. Friedman,” they say, “would you like to take a little spin around New Delhi in our car?”

Oh, I say, I’ve heard that line before. Ah, they say, but you haven’t seen this car before. It’s a plug-in electric car that is also powered by rooftop solar panels — and the two young women, recent Yale grads, had just driven it all over India in a “climate caravan” to highlight the solutions to global warming being developed by Indian companies, communities, campuses and innovators, as well as to inspire others to take action. (more…)

Climate Change Demands a Transformative Change in Direction

Over a year ago I wrote to Prime Minister Brown asking him to place a moratorium on new coal-fired power plants in Britain. I have asked the same of Angela Merkel, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd and other world leaders. The reason is this – coal is the single greatest threat to civilization and all life on our planet.

Our global climate is nearing tipping points. Changes are beginning to appear, and there is a potential for explosive changes with effects that would be irreversible – if we do not rapidly slow fossil fuel emissions over the next few decades.

Tipping points are fed by amplifying feedbacks. As Arctic sea ice melts, the darker ocean absorbs more sunlight and speeds melting. As tundra melts, methane a strong greenhouse gas, is released, causing more warming. As species are pressured and exterminated by shifting climate zones, ecosystems can collapse, destroying more species. The public, buffeted by day-to-day weather fluctuations and economic turmoil, has little time or training to analyze decadal changes. How can they be expected to evaluate and filter out advice emanating from special economic interests? How can they distinguish top-notch science and pseudoscience – the words sound the same?

Last weekend, 1000 students convened in Austin Texas for the Clinton Global Initiative University for a conference geared towards solving the world’s big problems and empowering students to take action.

In 8 days, 10,000 young people will be in DC for Power Shift 2009 for a conference to demand action on climate change from our leaders and empowering students to push for change.

There is a fundamental difference between these two events:

At Power Shift we will hold our elected officials accountable to do their part in solving climate change. We know that we are all working together to solve one really big (and multi-faceted) problem. And we’re not leaving until they listen to us.

Clinton Global Initiative inspires individuals and small groups to solve a wide range of problems, and highlight the projects that are closest to a set of ideals: Do what you can to make the world a better place, and make this part of your life.’ CGI-U is top down, and Power Shift is bottom up.

On December 24th, the College began the experiment of setting back temperatures and turning off equipment in many buildings until just before the beginning of Winter Study on January 5th. This effort appears to have saved nearly $90,000 and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 287 metric tonnes, over 1 % of our annual total.

The financial savings were split evenly between electricity and heating oil. Fifty-five percent of the energy savings came from heating. We often think of electricity as having the most utilities impact, due to the visible lighting and plug load in a building. However, in colder climates like ours, heat energy accounts for a larger portion of both emissions and spending on energy.

We can’t report on heating savings per building due to a current lack of steam metering, but we do have real-time metering of electricity by building. From those meters, we learned, not surprisingly, that large, energy-intensive buildings saved the most electricity: Paresky (34,500 kWh), Sawyer (26,874 kWh), Chandler (20,274 kWh), Bronfman (15,124 kWh), Greylock Dining (15,124 kWh), and Jesup (14,202 kWh). On average building electricity use was down 40%; electricity use in dorms was down 47%.

‘We seem to be suffering from an empathy deficit – our ability to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes, to see the world through those who are different from us.’ – Barack Obama

Occasionally – just occasionally – a mainstream politician says something that is both original and useful. This is the case with Barack Obama’s views on empathy. In a thousand speeches, and in his book The Audacity of Hope, he has put cultivating empathy – learning to see the world from the perspective of others – at the centre of his moral and political vision.

I am inclined to praise him because I believe we should view the problem of tackling climate change not as an environmental issue, or one concerning technology or social justice or markets, but primarily as a problem of empathy. We must learn to see the individuals behind the newspaper headlines about climate change, and imagine ourselves into the uniqueness of their lives, developing an understanding of their most important experiences, beliefs, fears and hopes.Sound far-fetched, wishy-washy or a little too sandals-and-carrot-juice for your liking? Let me explain myself.

The big question facing us is this: How can we close the gap between knowledge and action on climate change? Millions of people in rich countries know about the damaging effects of climate change and their own greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, yet relatively few are willing to make substantive changes to how they live. They might change a few light bulbs but they do not cut back on flying abroad for their holidays nor do they want to pay higher taxes to confront global warming.

So far economic, moral or other arguments have not been enough to spur sufficient action. This is because a fundamental approach has been missing: empathy.

The future of energy

Jun 19th 2008
From The Economist print edition

A fundamental change is coming sooner than you might think

Instead of bullying and scaring people, the prophets of energy technology are attempting to seduce them. They promise a world where, at one level, things will have changed beyond recognition, but at another will have stayed comfortably the same, and may even have got better.

This time it’s serious

Alternative energy sounds like a cop-out. Windmills and solar cells hardly seem like ways of producing enough electricity to power a busy, self-interested world, as furnaces and steam-turbines now do. Battery-powered cars, meanwhile, are slightly comic: more like milk-floats than Maseratis. But the proponents of the new alternatives are serious. Though many are interested in environmental benefits, their main motive is money. They are investing their cash in ideas that they think will make them large amounts more. And for the alternatives to do that, they need to be both as cheap as (or cheaper than) and as easy to use as (or easier than) what they are replacing.

For oil replacements, cheap suddenly looks less of a problem. The biofuels or batteries that will power cars in the alternative future should beat petrol at today’s prices. Of course, today’s prices are not tomorrow’s. The price of oil may fall; but so will the price of biofuels, as innovation improves crops, manufacturing processes and fuels.

Electrical energy, meanwhile, will remain cheaper than petrol energy in almost any foreseeable future, and tomorrow’s electric cars will be as easy to fill with juice from a socket as today’s are with petrol from a pump. Unlike cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells, of the sort launched by Honda this week, battery cars do not need new pipes to deliver their energy. The existing grid, tweaked and smartened to make better use of its power stations, should be infrastructure enough. What matters is the nature of those power stations.

The price is right

They, too, are more and more likely to be alternative. Wind power is taking on natural gas, which has risen in price in sympathy with oil. Wind is closing in on the price of coal, as well. Solar energy is a few years behind, but the most modern systems already promise wind-like prices. Indeed, both industries are so successful that manufacturers cannot keep up, and supply bottlenecks are forcing prices higher than they otherwise would be. It would help if coal—the cheapest fuel for making electricity—were taxed to pay for the climate-changing effects of the carbon dioxide produced when it burns, but even without such a tax, some ambitious entrepreneurs are already talking of alternatives that are cheaper than coal.

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Please read the rest of the article for the pessimism that I cut out. He can also give the Lion courage:

Coalition and Partners Launch Rebuilding America

Submitted by jana on February 2nd, 2009

The Energy Future Coalition, in concert with a diverse cross-section of partners, recently submitted a plan to Congress to use building retrofit programs to put people back to work while reducing the U.S.’s energy footprint. The building sector consumes 70% of electricity and emits 40% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Implementing energy efficiency retrofits presents an opportunity to create good jobs that not only reduce our environmental impact, but also create long-term energy savings for schools, homes, and businesses.

The plan would target retrofitting 4 million homes over the next two years. Over the long-term, the plan recommends improving the efficiency of 50 million existing structures by 2020, creating 200,000 jobs. Energy efficiency is much cheaper than building new power plants and should be the first option for meeting energy demand.

We mostly talk about solar panels that convert sunlight into electricity. But we can utilize sunlight by using another technology known as concentrating solar technology. In this technology reflective mirrors are used to concentrate light onto a liquid to make steam. This steam then converts energy into electricity with the help of conventional turbines. Deserts are best places to avail this technology. One important aspect is, its air-cooling process conserves water, an important consideration for desert projects. Concentrating solar technology is to be utilized in California which has a directive to generate 33 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. 8 Comments

ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

The energy challenges our country faces are severe and have gone unaddressed for far too long. Our addiction to foreign oil doesn’t just undermine our national security and wreak havoc on our environment — it cripples our economy and strains the budgets of working families all across America. President Obama and Vice President Biden have a comprehensive plan to invest in alternative and renewable energy, end our addiction to foreign oil, address the global climate crisis and create millions of new jobs.

The Obama-Biden comprehensive New Energy for America plan will:

Help create five million new jobs by strategically investing $150 billion over the next ten years to catalyze private efforts to build a clean energy future.

Within 10 years save more oil than we currently import from the Middle East and Venezuela combined.

Put 1 million Plug-In Hybrid cars — cars that can get up to 150 miles per gallon — on the road by 2015, cars that we will work to make sure are built here in America.

OK I was wrong. I admit it so there. But I have to admit that I never thought the huge Oil Companies nor the Oil Producers nor the Huge Refiners would ever admit that there is absolutely no relationship between supply and demand either in the price of a barrel of oil, or in the price of gasoline, much less admit that there is no relationship BETWEEN THE TWO of them. But they did. So When I said that Oil would hit 120 or 130 $$$ per barrel next summer my thoughts were mainly on gasoline. Yet in a world finally gone honest for reasons I do not understand…I must change my prediction about Oil and change it to Gasoline. Who knows what the price of Oil will be next Summer but I predict the Price of Gasoline will be over 3$$ a gallon, and easily could be around 4 $$$ a gallon. Boy would I love to be wrong. We should Tax Gasoline out of existence,

Crude oil is getting cheaper — so why isn’t gas?

Energy market has turned upside-down amid U.S. recession

updated 4:50 p.m. CT,Sun., Feb. 15, 2009

NEW YORK – Crude oil prices have fallen to new lows for this year. So you’d think gas prices would sink right along with them.

Not so.

On Thursday, for example, crude oil closed just under $34 a barrel, its lowest point for 2009. But the national average price of a gallon of gas rose to $1.95 on the same day, its peak for the year. On Friday gas went a penny higher.

To drivers once again grimacing as they tank up, it sounds like a conspiracy. But it has more to do with an energy market turned upside-down that has left gas cut off from its usual economic moorings.

The price of gas is indeed tied to oil. It’s just a matter of which oil.

The benchmark for crude oil prices is West Texas Intermediate, drilled exactly where you would imagine. That’s the price, set at the New York Mercantile Exchange, that you see quoted on business channels and in the morning paper.

Right now, in an unusual market trend, West Texas crude is selling for much less than inferior grades of crude from other places around the world. A severe economic downturn has left U.S. storage facilities brimming with it, sending prices for the premium crude to five-year lows.

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Please read the entire article it is full of great information. If you ignore the idiocy above about “it depends on which oil you buy”, the fact is that oil storage is nearing its capacity because everyone is “saving” their oil “til the markets rise”. Yet at the same time there is this huge glut of oil, there is near scarcity and rising prices in gasoline. That is because the Refiners are not buying oil and restricting gasoline supplies to increase price. You then see the real wizard in the machine, or the magician behind the curtains, because as gas prices rise consumption already at market lows will fall further. The point: They can not raise gasoline prices fast enough to make money while they are concurrently scaring the bejeezes out of gasoline, diesel and kerasene (manly airlines and the airforce) users. Then there is the question of what to do with all that stored oil. More on that later! This in from Texas where they love their oil (that’s earl to you):

Gas prices rising throughout Texas

San Antonio Business Journal

The nation’s refiners are cutting back on the supply of gasoline in the market, leading to a steady increase in gasoline prices throughout the country, according to AAA Texas.

Retail prices nationwide are inching back toward the $2 mark. The average price of a gallon of regular gasoline is now at $1.95.

In Texas, the average price of gas is currently $1.83 a gallon, an increase of nearly three cents over a week ago.

In San Antonio, average gas prices are also up three cents this week, to $1.80 a gallon.

“The higher gas prices come at a time when crude oil prices remain very sluggish and the Department of Energy and experts say supplies are abundant,” AAA Texas spokesman Dan Ronan says.

“Oil today has been trading on the NYMEX exchange around $35 a barrel, clearly in the lower range of the $30 to $50 pattern it’s been in for the past several weeks,” he says.

What’s driving higher retail gasoline prices are the reductions in capacity many refiners are taking to address a slow-down in demand for gasoline and the recession, Ronan says.

Americans currently are spending $671 million a day on gasoline. This is down from $1.12 billion spent daily on gasoline during January 2008.

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What set all this market transparency off (hahaha I never thought I would say that about an energy market) you might wonder? Well it has to be the speculators. I have always wondered about this concept “the smartest guys in the room”. Echoed in the earlier movie, Wall Street, where Gecko says “Greed is Good”. Thieves are not very smart. Think about it. How smart do you have to be to take money from the weak and the helpless. I first heard this phrase applied to the “people” at Enron. But their business was just fraud…plain and simple. They did not make any money they just took other people’s money. Even the Rich are starting to notice and they hardly ever do that:

Slowly rising gasoline prices? Forget it

Prices at the pump not finished increasing.

Orange County gas prices have jumped 10 cents in the past week, a reversal of the trend of slower, more gradual increases.

A gallon of regular unleaded goes for $2.17, up 10 cents since last week, and 27 cents higher than a month ago. Last week and the week previous, prices seemed to be leveling off at $2.07, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California and the Oil Price Information Service.

Prices are still 83 cents less than a year ago, and $2.43 cheaper than the June 19 record of $4.60.

In Los Angeles County, gas goes for $2.18, the Auto Club says.

Orangecountygasprices.com says that the cheapest gas in Orange County can be found for $1.98 at the 76 station at 1201 S. State College Blvd at Ball Road in Anaheim. The most expensive gas is at the Chevron at 26988 Ortega Highway at Del Obispo Street in San Juan Capistrano.

The smartest guys in the room got the ball rolling by creating the housing bubble. But when the big money pulled out of the market well before the crash it had to have “somewhere to go”. So the rocket scientists suggested commodities, in particular Oil. That destabilized what had been an incredibly stable market and the chicanery caused the weak regulatory system to collapse. The see-saws whipped the market and exposed the LIE that was the market justification. What are they going to do with all that oil? Pump it back into the ground, but more likely abandon it. Think about that?>! Yet some people want to live in the nicer world of the 1990s

However, he said he would not speculate about the future prices of oil because it could turn into a “guessing game.”

Regular grade unleaded fuel in Amarillo sold for an average of $2.967 per gallon a year ago, according to AAA’s Web site. The same grade of gas was sold Thursday for $1.683 per gallon.

Peter Summers, an assistant professor in the Economics and Geography department, said he thinks most people are taking the increases “in stride.”

“As expensive as oil and gas got last summer, and to see such a huge reversal of that,” Summers said, “not many people were expecting it and maybe people got used to it.”

The increases could be affecting construction around campus, he said, because the increasing prices of petroleum could raise the price of asphalt.

Bolton said he does not feel like lower prices would be a long-term trend, but if prices could stabilize between $2 to $2.50 per gallon, people could afford gas and companies could still profit off gas sales.

The average price for regular grade unleaded fuel was $1.614 in the Austin-San Marcos area and $1.625 in the Dallas area. The national average for regular grade unleaded fuel was $1.762.